So you want to be a baby sitter?

Allowance not cutting it anymore? Are your parents after you to learn about responsibility and get a job? Baby-sitting could be the answer.

Baby-sitting is a great job — especially for teenagers. You can make some cash while looking after and playing with kids. You’ve probably had to watch your little brother or cousin before anyway. Why not do the same thing and get paid for it!

Although being a baby sitter can be fun, you do have to be serious about it. It’s a real job and the parents are trusting you with their kids. Plus, you need to ask your parents about taking on the job.

Harriet Brown, author of The Babysitter’s Handbook, Dr. Danette Glassy, an expert on early education and child care, and Halley Bondy, author of Don’t Sit on the Baby!: The Ultimate Guide to Sane, Skilled, and Safe Babysitting, offer a step-by-step guide to how to become a great baby sitter.

1. Check Your Schedule

Before you even think about baby-sitting, look at your schedule. Is baby-sitting realistic?

"If you’re up to your neck in extracurricular activities from morning until night seven days a week, you probably won’t be of much use to families," Bondy says. "Figure out when and if you’re free to babysit, so you can give a clear, accurate schedule to the families you want to work with."

2. Learn about Child Care and Safety

Now take some classes that will help you learn the babysitting ropes. All three experts advise potential sitters to take a baby-sitter training course and learn CPR and first aid. They’re usually cheap and short, so definitely worth it!

Several organizations offer training. For information, visit www.redcross.com, www.nationwidechildrens.org and www.safesiter.org, to name a few.

Another bonus of taking classes? You can earn even more money as a baby sitter! 80 percent of parents think that teenage baby sitters should be paid more if they are trained in first aid, CPR and child care, according to a survey from the Red Cross.

3. Do a Safety Check

Because safety is so important when you’re watching kids, it gets two steps!

Before you even think about babysitting a child, make sure you know what to do in an emergency situation such as:

* The child is choking

* The child gets a minor scrape or cut

* The child falls on his bike and hits his head

* You get locked out of the house

* There’s a fire

* A burglar breaks in

* The child runs off

4. Start Slowly

You don’t have to jump right into watching strangers’ kids.

"For resume-building and practice on real kids, offer to baby sit your family members’ and neighbors’ kids," suggests Bondy. "If you’re brand-new to sitting, you’ll want to have adult supervision at first, and eventually you can segue to real sitting for pay."

5. Determine Your Rate

The most important part: money. How much should you charge for baby-sitting?

Some families might want to give you a crazy low amount — after all, that’s what they used get paid when they babysat 20 years ago. Don’t fall for it. If you’re responsible, experienced and trained in safety, you can ask for more.

Your price also changes depending on how many kids you’re watching, how old they are (younger kids need more hands-on attention), if you’ll be playing with them the entire time or if it’s nighttime and they’re sleeping.

"Use your judgment, and talk to a parent or trusted adult to figure out a solid rate," Bondy suggests. You can negotiate with families, but it helps to have a starting figure in mind.

6. Spread the Word

Now that you’re ready to start, you actually need kids to baby sit for. Let friends, family, and neighbors know you want to baby sit. With your parent’s permission, put a notice on community boards where parents often are, such as the grocery store, library and pediatrician’s office.

When you find a job, the parents will probably want to interview you — either over the phone or in person. Before talking to someone you don’t know, make sure your own parents know all the details about the job and who you’re interviewing with. If something seems odd, tell your folks immediately. You need to stay safe, too!

When you interview with a family, tell your parents when the interview is scheduled for, where you’re going and the names/address of the parents. Ask them to drive you to the interview and wait outside. Or call them as soon as it’s over.

8. Plan Activities

Once you land that baby-sitting job, you’re not done yet. Think about what you’ll do with the kids to keep them entertained.

"Ask the parents what kinds of activities their child likes to do ahead of time, so you can prepare for that," Dr. Glassy recommends. "Think about whether the activities you’re planning are age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate."

Then run the activities by the parents. "Always do what the parents instructed," Dr. Glassy says. "Come to the job with some suggestions for activities, or take books to share with the children. Be sure to ask the parents if they think these might be fun for their child."

9. Be Prompt

Show off how professional you are by arriving on time. This shows you respect the parents’ schedule and you’re reliable. If soccer practice is running a few minutes late, make sure you call the family and let them know.

But "don’t cancel at the last minute," warns Brown. Word will spread with local parents (they all talk!) that you’re unreliable and you can say goodbye to your baby-sitting career.

10. Put Your Phone Away

"Young children can get into dangerous or deadly situations very quickly, so a baby sitter must not be distracted by socializing while on-duty: no texting, no Facebooking or Internet/email/Twitter-checking, no personal phone calls (and) no personal visits from friends," says Dr. Glassy.

Besides, your friends will be impressed later when you tell them you couldn’t talk or text back because "you’re working."

11. Clean Up

One thing all three experts agree on: if you want to impress the parents, tidy up before they return. It will really show off how responsible you are. If the house got messy during your Lego building or that action figure battle, make sure all toys are put away before bedtime.

12. Go the Extra Mile

How do you make sure the parents will call you again? "Be organized," Brown suggests. "Tell the parents how your time with the kids went and anything they might need or want to know about it."

"Most parents are content when you show up on time, have a positive attitude and follow their rules — so if you arrive at the first gig with a thousand bells and whistles, you might overwhelm the parents and the kids," Bondy says. "Over time, however, you can show the parents that you’re really invested in the job by repeating things the kids told you, by showing up with activities you know they will love or by offering ideas for future outings — these are sincere efforts, not forced ones."